Yes, the government should monitor cell phones

As much as I hate to agree with this topic, the government has to monitor cell phones to combat terrorism. There are so many radical groups with cells in this country that we could be attacked at any time. Monitoring cell phones at least gives some help in tracking suspected terrorists and blocking their attempts to do damage.

Yes, monitoring cell phones is important weapon in the fight against terrorism

Yes, the government should continue to monitor all cell phones as a domestic counter-terrorism strategy. Of course, giving up civil liberties is difficult for any American, however, in the name of National Security, it's a small price to pay. The government is able to collect valuable intelligence from the monitoring of cell phone communication and, provided it is using care and discretion, it must continue so that the U.S. can fight terrorism on its shores.

Privacy is too high a price to pay for security.

By definition, terrorism is frightening. The government should move aggressively to thwart it wherever practical. However, the large-scale invasion of privacy represented by universal cell-phone monitoring is too high a price to pay. The crime of terrorism has two parts. First, terrorists murder a small number of people. Second, the shocking nature of these killings affects the behavior of a much larger number of people, decreasing the quality of their lives. If we are so afraid of future terror attacks that we forget our values and cheapen our identity, then terrorism has succeeded.

It is a waste of time and money to monitor all cell phones.

The majority of Americans are not conducting terrorist activity. Rather than wasting manpower and money monitoring all cell phones, the government should first identify individuals who are prospective legitimate terrorist threats and focus its efforts on those individuals. This not prevents massive spending for essentially no purpose but makes available funds to pursue those who are conducting terrorist activity more aggressively.

Those who sacrifice security for liberty deserve neither.

I find it hard to imagine the mindset that would allow every founding principle this country was founded on the be signed away in the search fro imaginary dissidents. Over and over we've seen the result, overreach, corruption, abuse and misuse. Over and over we've seen these measures touted as neccessary for law enforcement, fail to find any terrorists except the ones they manufacture themselves...and that's not even getting into the world post Snowden.